Students flock to a street fair of activities and opportunities

September 20, 2012 | by the Office of Communications and Public Affairs

On a recent scorching afternoon, about 600 students and other members of the campus community took a stroll through the College’s first Taste of Elmhurst, an outdoor street fair where nearly 100 campus groups, local businesses, museums and other community organizations were offering everything from voter registration to glasses of pomegranate iced tea.

The fair, held along the stretch of Alexander Street that runs between Prospect and Myrtle streets, was a way to introduce Elmhurst College students to all of the local activities and opportunities available to them, on campus and off.

The College has always hosted an activity fair where new students could learn about Greek life or how to join a service club or the mock trial team, but the Taste of Elmhurst was the first time that local restaurants, non-profits and social-service agencies also were invited to set up booths. Some of those participants included Jamba Juice, the Elmhurst Art Museum, Aspire Illinois, the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, the Elmhurst Public Library, the People’s Resource Center and Elijah’s Specialty Coffee.

Event organizers deemed it a big success, especially for the students. “It was nice for the students to have a really large event during the first week of classes, and in such a highly visible spot,” said Jeannette Smith, assistant director of the Frick Center. “And having it in the afternoon, with music, things to do, people to talk with, was really great. I overheard some conversations between students and people from the non-profits and local businesses about jobs and internships; and it was just a good way for people to learn about what everybody’s doing.”